On Tuesday, the Connecticut Senate narrowly voted to legalize marijuana in the state, a move that supporters believe will put the state at the forefront of efforts to make the drug more available for medical and recreational use. The bill, which was introduced by state Sen. Kevin Witkos (D-Brooklyn) and state Sen. Jason Lewis (R-Whitinsville), still needs to pass the state House and be signed by Governor Dannel Malloy (D), but this is the closest that Connecticut has ever gotten to passing a marijuana legalization bill. The bill would legalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by adults 21 years old and over. It would also allow for the cultivation of up to six marijuana plants.
Back in 2013, Connecticut lawmakers approved a bill expanding access to medical marijuana for people suffering from a wide range of medical conditions, such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Last week, lawmakers once again voted to make medical marijuana legal in the state, this time with a provision that allows for use of the drug for anyone who is 18 or older.
In a surprisingly narrow 19-17 vote, the Senate early Tuesday approved a bill that would legalize recreational marijuana in Connecticut, sending the bill to the closely divided House of Representatives for the penultimate day of the 2021 legislative session. It was unclear whether the House had the votes, the time or the inclination to try to make a final decision before the midnight constitutional deadline on Wednesday, a task made even more difficult Monday by concerns about attempts to favor licensing for agricultural producers. We’re taking our time with it, said House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, who led the task force that drafted the bill and oversaw the conduct of a strangely tense and lengthy Senate vote. Only the vote of retired police senator Kevin Witkos, R-Canton, kept the Senate from breaking a tie with Lt. Gov. Gov. Susan Bisiewicz. Six Democrats voted against, the other 11 Republicans opposed. But eleven minutes into the debate and the start of the vote, it was still unclear whether the bill would pass. The result is 16-16, with four Democrats absent: Steve Cassano of Manchester, Douglas McCrory of Hartford, Patricia Billie Miller of Stamford and Marilyn Moore of Bridgeport. Moore voted to make it 17-16 after nearly eight minutes of play. McCrory, angry that the Senate rejected the provision he wanted, voted 18-16 in favor three minutes later. Miller, who has said she has long opposed legalization, brought the 19th Amendment to a vote. Victory was assured when Cassano cast the final dissenting vote. A difficult vote, Moore said. I was still thinking at the end, Miller said. McCrory received no comment. The evening’s discussion reflected familiar arguments from the past, with fears that legalisation could lead to abuse and addiction reflecting the legacy of the discredited War on Drugs, which hit urban black communities hardest. McCrory, Miller and Moore are members of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, which has pushed for social justice provisions that shift the bulk of cannabis revenue to the cities most affected by drug laws. It’s a bill that is 88 years past due, said Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, referring to the end of alcohol prohibition in 1933. If you go back to the beginning of the last century, you could find cannabis in dispensaries, Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee and one of the bill’s lead sponsors. Then everything changed. According to Winfield, this led to a biased view of marijuana, with people viewing the drug in a derogatory manner because they associated it with Mexican immigrants, blacks, or counterculture hippies. The war on drugs, which began in the 1970s under the administration of President Richard Nixon and continued for decades, was in a sense a way of dealing with racial minorities. Entire communities have been wiped out, Winfield said.Related Tags:
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